Via NPR:
Two Orlando-area hospitals are waiving the medical bills of victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting, praising the community response and saying they want to contribute.
More than 50 people were wounded in the June 12 attack on the Florida gay nightclub, and 49 people died.
Orlando Regional Medical Center has treated 44 victims of the shooting — more than any other hospital. The center’s parent company, Orlando Health, says it will not charge victims for their treatment, reports Abe Aboraya of member station WMFE.
“Instead, the hospital will look at federal and state funds, victims’ funds like the One Orlando fund, and private funds raised for victims,” Aboraya reports for our Newscast unit. “The hospital will bill insurance if a patient has it, but it will not go after a patient’s copays.
“The same goes for the nine patients who came to the hospital and died,” he says.
The hospital expects about $5 million in unreimbursed costs.
Orlando Health CEO David Strong released a statement calling the shooting a “horrendous tragedy.”